the cycle starts again
by Lady Cravenheart
Summary: 20 years after the end of the Skeleton King War and the disappearance of the monkeys, Charlie stumbles across the Super Robot and the monkeys inside. She awakens them—just in time for Chiro to disappear, after being kidnapped by the Dark Ones’ new Chosen.
1. chapter 1

WARNING: This is an OC-centric plotty fic. If that's not your thing, back out now.

This idea came to my head last summer and wouldn't leave. I've been working on it on and off, and have about seven chapters to show for my effort. I'm going to post about once or twice a week, and will hopefully write more before I reach the end of what I've got!

I hope you guys enjoy :D

* * *

 **the cycle starts again**

 _Lady Cravenheart_

* * *

 **1.**

* * *

Charlene runs through the forest. Her breath comes in sharp pants and branches tear at her arms and face. Only her goggles keep them from tearing at her eyes too. Her heart beats frantically in her chest. The cuts on her body sting with every step forward but she ignores them. She has to keep pressing on. She can't—won't—stop.

The formless soldiers—creatures which Shuggazoom thought they saw the last of long ago—are on her tail and closing fast.

 _Come on…_

 _Come on…_

 _Just a little further now… You can do it, Charlie!_

Tears form in the corners of her eyes as she speeds up. Her muscles cry out for relief but she has to keep going. She has to. She has to get somewhere safe… somewhere she can defend herself. If she doesn't…

Well. Best not to think about what will happen if she doesn't.

 _Just a little further and—_

 _Shit!_

Charlie barely manages to stop herself before she goes tumbling off the edge of a canyon and into the darkness below. Given everything else that lurks in this forest she can only imagine what type of creatures wait for her there! The crashing behind her grows louder as the formless draw nearer. She glances left, then right.

A-ha! A bridge!

She turns right and runs with everything in her. She's in for it when the adrenaline fades, she knows. She'll be lucky if she doesn't pass out right then and there. Even though she knows the crash is inevitable, though, she can't help but be grateful for the extra boost of energy.

It's all that's keeping her out of their clutches.

Unbidden, her hand reaches up to her chest; gripping the datachip hanging around her necklace. She has to get this off of Shuggazoom and away from the new Chosen of the Dark Ones.

She reaches the bridge. It's a stable, sturdy thing. She's torn between gratitude and disappointment. She was hoping that, once she made it across, the formless would plummet to their deaths. No such luck. However, her passage is safe, which is a very good thing, as far as she's concerned.

She doesn't have time to take in a lot of details as she races across it, but she notices a few things—first of all, the bridge is white. Pristinely so. Second, it's old. The forest has already begun to retake it; vines wrapping around it in some twisted form of an embrace. Probably built within the last two decades, then. Maybe during the War of the Living and the Dead? The Savage Lands were visited an awful lot back then.

Her feet hit dirt and she takes off into the trees again.

It doesn't really matter, she supposes. What matters is that the bridge was there, and stable enough that she could use it to cross the canyon. Hopefully she can find a ship or some kind of weapon at the lab. Though… honestly? She doubts it. There's no way that place hasn't been picked clean by scavengers or scientists looking for an easy way to make it big. The War of the Living and the Dead left it famous, for better or worse.

But maybe she'd get lucky. She has an awful lot of luck, after all. Mostly for small things—like passing tests she never studied for and finding spare change on the ground just when she needed an extra quarter or another dollar. But sometimes… sometimes she got big things.

Maybe this would be one of these days.

The lab comes into view and Charlie feels as if she could collapse with relief. As it is, she just runs faster. As she clears the treeline, more of the lab comes into view and—

 _Ho-ly shit._

Is that the Super Robot?!

 _No way. I thought they said it disappeared?_

But what better place to hide it than the place it started? According to all the stories that Charlie has heard—and she's heard quite a few—the Super Robot first woke here; when the monkeys were still asleep, when Mandarin was still their leader.

 _No time to freak out, girl. Find yourself a weapon—play explorer later._

If this really is the Super Robot, then the monkeys are sleeping inside it—locked in cryogenic stasis until the right person comes along to wake them up. As long as they're in that state, they're of no use to Charlie. She doesn't have time to figure out how to wake them up—or to mess with getting inside. But once these formless are dead…

Well.

That's a different story.

She throws the doors of the lab open—which is harder than she thought it would be. She didn't think the doors would be that heavy. She takes the time to shut them behind her. Maybe that will buy her an extra second or two.

Of course, she didn't count on how _dark_ it would be. There's still the glow of machinery, but none of it is enough to see by. Well, except the tubes off in the corner; but their light doesn't extend that far. And as curious as she is to see where the monkeys originated, she has bigger problems on her hands right now.

She reaches up to her goggles and taps the sides. Night-vision mode activates; the interior of the lab comes into view. She scans the room.

There—a weapon rack in the corner.

She jogs over to it. The formless outside begin to slam on the door; dust shakes to the ground as the doors rattle in their frames. She scans the available weapons and picks one at random—a gun, with a rolling mechanism that seems to switch between different kinds of ammo. She has no idea if it works. She ducks behind a large hunk of machinery and hopes for the best.

She cocks the gun and grins as it spins to life; the plasma in the side lights up and shoots into the nozzle. She places her finger by the trigger and braces the gun. She takes a deep breath.

The doors slam open; hitting the walls with a thunderous sound. The formless stalk in. Their bodies drip sticky ooze to the floor. Their eyes glow red; their bodies the same zombie-like bones of before.

Charlie licks her lips and sticks her head out from behind the machine. She glances down at the plasma. Blue. Thick. She only gets one guess as to what it is. She takes a deep breath, aims at one of their heads, and fires.

The gun is near silent when it fires. The blue bolt sticks to the side the formless's head and immediately begins to grow. It expands and grows heavier and heavier, before the formless flops to the floor. The plasma glows brighter for a second before, with a resounding pop!, explodes, splattering blue and black all across the lab. The resulting explosion picks off two more formless.

She grins.

 _Cool_.

She lines the gun up again and hits another. Then one more. And then the final formless. All four land on the ground. She ducks behind the machine to avoid the inevitable explosion. She strokes the barrel of the gun adoringly.

"Well," she whispers, "I suppose I did need a new gun. You'll do in a pinch, won't'cha, baby?" She un-cocks the gun and makes sure that the plasma flows back into the chamber before she straps it to her back—it even came with a neat holster, how nice is that? She reaches up and clicks her goggles until they show life readouts. It took about a year and a half, but together, she and her father managed to fix them so that they'd pick up formless.

She stands up and takes a careful look around.

Nothing. She turns them off and pushes her goggles up on her head, just to make sure. Not even the slightest hint of movement catches her gaze. She slumps.

Finally in the clear.

For the moment, anyway. She's not completely free yet—more formless will be on her tail soon, if they aren't already. She needs to get out of here, and fast. But first…

She returns to the weapon rack and looks at the desk. Her uncanny luck rears its head once more—the blueprints for her gun are hidden just beneath blueprints for a modified jetpack. (Closer inspection reveals that it's a prototype for the ones they use today. How neat!)

Charlie rolls the blueprints up. She jogs out of the lab and over to the Robot. If she can get this thing open, it might be her best chance at getting out of here. She might not be able to fly it—or awaken its inhabitants—but she can get to the hangar and borrow one of the ships there.

 _Was it the right foot… or the left?_ Charlie frowns. She shrugs and walks over to a foot at random—it's not like this choice is end-be-all, now is it? She can always walk over to the other foot if this doesn't work. Unless the Super Robot comes to life and squishes her… which. Not gonna happen.

The first foot is a bust. She does everything she can think of to try and bring up the holopad, but nothing works. She even kicks it! Disappointed, she trots over to the second one.

 _Maybe the rumors are right,_ she thinks. _Maybe you can only open it if you're possessed of the Power Primate._ The remaining Mystics—the ones who hadn't been corrupted under Master Xan's influence—seemed to think she had the potential… but no amount of training had ever brought it out of her. 'Potential' wasn't going to get this door open. ('Potential' didn't do much of anything except disappoint starry-eyed little girls ready to be the next Chosen One.)

She runs her hand along the side. Too her delight, she finds the magic spot—a yellow holopad jumps to life beneath her fingers. She grins. Now… what would the passcode be?

The grin slips from her face in favor of a contemplative frown. She thinks, brain spinning in rapid circles before a number jumps out of her. She beams and types it in, each press decisive. The keypad disappears in favor of a circle, endlessly spinning as it processes her input. In a matter of seconds, the door whooshes open and Charlie fights the urge to whoop. She steps through the threshold, positively buzzing with excitement. The door slides shut behind her.

For a moment, she's trapped in darkness. But then, the overhead lights come on. The room is bathed in bright white light; the silver of the walls glaringly bright. She grimaces and pulls her goggles down. She turns the shade feature on.

Ah. Much better.

She stands in a short hallway. At the end of the hall are six multi-colored tubes—orange, purple, blue, green, red, and yellow. She approaches the orange one. She steps inside it, keeping the blueprints close to her chest. The second she's in it, another holopad pops up at the right of the door. A diagram of the Super Robot is shown. It looks a little bit like the diagrams of the inside of humans that they displayed in anatomy class. Charlie knows she shouldn't waste any time. She should click on the hangar, find a ship, and be done with this place.

But she can't resist her curiosity.

 _Dad can wait a little longer_ , she tells herself. _It's been a shit day. I need a pick-me-up. One peek at the monkeys, and then I'll be on my way._

She clicks the bridge. The door slides shut, and the floor under her feet comes to life. A slight buzzing sound is the only warning she gets before she's propelled into the air. Though she knows she's safely ensconced inside a bubble, she can't help but let out a muffled scream.

The noise barely escapes her lips before the elevator slows to a halt. The overhead light comes on. This light is just as bright as the ones downstairs—if not brighter. It illuminates what could almost be a living room; six chairs placed in a circle in a slightly lowered portion of the room. In the center is an indentation. Charlie is willing to bet that, if the right buttons were pressed, a table would elevate. On one of the wall is the symbol of the monkey team; only a slight crevice in the wall reveals that it's a little bit more than it seems. To her left, there are two larger domes. Instead of concealing chairs, these conceal rooms.

She exits the pod. If the monkeys are sleeping anywhere, they have to be in the medbay. And, after extensive study of the maps, she knows that one of these hulking orbs holds the medbay.

Charlie crosses the room with determined strides. A click of the holopad opens the door—no passcode required.

The lighting in the lab is dimmer than the lights on the bridge. It glows with a soft blue light. She can just imagine what it must have been like in active use—tubes of brightly colored chemicals, the smell of antiseptic, bandages and science equipment at every corner. The lab seems dreadfully empty in comparison to her imaginings.

She enters the lab and goes right. The flooring changes; the lighting is different. Once again, the same sterile white light fills the room, but it's softer than the lights outside. Two neat, orderly rows of medical tables took up most of the space in the room. On the back wall were two suspension pods used to accelerate healing—their invention had greatly improved human lifespan.

But no monkeys.

She turns away from the medical bay and instead surveys the lab. No stasis pods here either.

She frowns. If the monkeys aren't here… where would they be? Maybe their sleeper pods. If Charlie had to put herself into a deep sleep for who-knew-how-long, she would definitely want to do it in her own bed. But she's delayed her departure long enough. She needs to get going.

Her father might not be worrying about her—poor man still thinks she's safely at boarding school—but that doesn't mean she can afford to dally. This information needs to get to him and it needs to get to him _now_. For the safety of the cosmos.

She exits the lab and tries not to be too disappointed. The second the lab door closes behind her, she wants to smack herself in the face. There they are, right in front of her—hanging suspended in their elevator pods. Cryogenic fluid fills the bubbles with the lifts on them; the doors tightly shut to keep any from escaping.

She swallows and slowly approaches the tubes. She's sure it's her imagination, but the overhead light seems to dim; the shadows in the room increasing dramatically as she approaches. The famous heroes of tales whispered throughout the cosmos; carried by word of mouth. Shuggazoom was one of the most popular tourist sites for most of her childhood, until the danger started to ratchet up again. Half a dozen monuments had been erected in their honor.

They had a chapter in the history book dedicated to them; all the information that they had been able to extract from their various allies and former leader recorded religiously and taught to young minds.

She extends her hand; her fingers brushing against the glass. Her mind is quiet.

Charlie doesn't know how long she stands there. She finally shakes herself from her trance and turns away from the pod. She's just about to head over to the orange one and—finally—make her way to the hanger when she spots it. A switch, sitting innocuously in a corner. Her brow furrows. She wonders… could it wake the monkeys? Her fingers twitch at her sides. She wants to pull it.

She looks between it and the orange pod. If she leaves now, she can get going with the datachip and reach her father before the month is up. But if she waits… if she pulls the switch… if she wakes the monkeys…

She can bring them back with her. It will finally give people the hope they've been looking for. The hope that they're going to win this war; against the Dark Ones' Chosen.

She bites her lip. She strides over to the switch. _The worst that can happen is that you're wrong, and this is just the light switch or something,_ she tells herself. _Its five seconds out of your way. Pull it. If it doesn't work, you can leave._

She wraps her hand around the knob of the lever and yanks. It slides toward her with ease. The second it clicks into place green lightning shoots up her arm. She goes to yank her hand away but finds that she can't. The electricity spreads through her body; the hair on the back of her neck stands on end. Her eyes widen and her lips part.

She doesn't even have a chance to scream before it overtakes her vision. For a moment, all she can see is bright, green light. A sudden, throbbing pain overtakes her body… and then… she knows nothing.

On the other side of the room, the fluid begins to drain from the pods, traveling back into its holding area. And in each monkey's optics; a light blinks.

* * *

Charlie wakes to voices. She forces herself to stay calm and still; taking deep, even breaths. They cannot know she is awake; not until she's evaluated her situation.

She evaluates herself first. A pulsing energy hums through her body. It fills her with energy even as her limbs throb with pain. The worst is in her head. She can feel her pulse pounding behind her eyes. Her fingers tingle. Cold metal presses into her back—she's likely laying on a table of some kind. Presumably in a med-bay. She isn't restrained. Either the voices she hears aren't threats… or the enemies who have her didn't expect her to wake so soon.

For safety's sake, best to assume the latter.

She tunes into the conversation.

"—by my calculation, it's been about twenty-one years since we entered stasis." Posh. Accented. Male.

"Gee, thanks, Brainstrain. Never would have figured that out without you." Unaccented. Deeply sarcastic. Male.

The sarcastic voice was punctuated by the sharp clang of metal on metal.

"Ow!"

"Are you really going to start picking fights _now_?" Female. Irritated.

Muttered cursing, and then. "Hey, twenty-one years… do you think that means the Kid is still around?"

Kid?

"Hey, d'ya think we'll get ta see him?" Male. Deep, yet childish. Bright.

"If the cosmos see fit for our paths to cross… then yes, I don't see why we couldn't. But don't get your hopes up, Otto. I do not believe he'll be happy to see us." Male. Deep. Wise. Sad.

Otto… she knows that name. Where does she know that name from?

"I didn't think the universe was gonna need us again so soon, Antauri." The sarcastic one from earlier. Sarcasm has left; replaced by bitterness. "And why'd they send us another teenager? Don't they get that our job is too dangerous for kids?"

"This one's older," the female sooths. "And judging by that gun she had, I'm gonna assume she already knows how to fight."

"Well, that's somethin', at least."

"And hey… we'll finally have another girl on the team! For a little while, anyway."

"I don't want to leave another one behind," the deep child voice says. "It was hard enough the last time."

The pieces begin to connect in her brain. Otto. Antauri. 'Kid.'

 _Holy shit._

 _Holy. Shit._

 _Ho-ly shit._

That's the _monkey team_. The freakin' monkey team is standing around, having a conversation. They're _awake._ But… how is that possible?

The last thing she remembers is… bright… green… light.

How did that old interview go again? Kicking a can, mysterious statue that turns out to be a robot-slash-spaceship, a mysterious switch... which, when touched, summoned a bright green light. The monkeys awoke, and the rest is history.

Literally.

So. Green light.

Guess Master Xala was right about her powers needing a trigger. Though, Charlie is pretty sure _this_ is not exactly what she had in mind when she said that.

Still, though. Cool.

Well. Sort of. Explaining this to her dad is not going to be fun. Or cool.

"Uh… guys. I think she's awake." Deep and childish—er, Otto—said.

Charlie opened her eyes.

"Yeah, I think Otto's on the money on this one." …Sprx? said.

Charlie pushed herself into a sitting position and swung her legs over the side. She didn't try to move any more than that, though. "Hi," she said.

"Who are you?" The question was asked by a silver monkey with bright blue eyes. Antauri, she assumed.

"Name's Charlene. Most people call me Charlie. Nice to meet'cha." Charlie wiggled her fingers.

"What were you doing in the Super Robot?" Yellow fur. Pink eyes. Female. Nova.

She shrugged. "I needed a ship. Figured I'd borrow one from the hangar— _after_ checking out the fabled monkey team, of course. You guys are legends around here."

"Why did you need a ship?" Blue fur. Accented voice. Gibson.

"To get off Shuggazzom. Duh."

"And you couldn't get one from the shipyard because…?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Because I had four formless on my tail! And they don't let you bring weapons to school, no matter how much of a hotspot Shuggazoom is for attacks. So, I had no gun, no powers, and no way of defending myself. Well, I mean, there's hand-to-hand… but who wants to go hand-to-hand with formless in a school uniform?" Her face twisted. "Yuck. No thanks. I'd rather skip the injuries and the goo. So I led them here, to the Savage Lands. I figured there had to be _some_ way to take them down here. And I was right! Found a nifty gun in the Alchemist's lab—which, I want back by the way—and used it to take 'em out. Then I figured my best chance for a working ship was here." She shrugged. "But, like I said, I wanted to see you guys first."

She was met by blank faces and blinks, as they finished processing the fast-paced tirade.

"How did you wake us up?" Antauri asked. He was scrutinizing her a little too heavily for her liking.

"Switch in the corner. I wasn't really sure it would work, but hey. If I'm leaving Shuggazoom on the run from formless, then I'm at least gonna bring _something_ of use back with me. Or, in this case, _someone's_. That's why I grabbed the blueprints at the lab. And, like I said, you guys are legends. If anyone can help us… it's you. We have some of your old teammates with us, and they've been a great help. I can only imagine what we can do if we have everyone here."

"Old teammates… Is Chiro with you, by chance?" Otto's eyes were large and filled with hope.

Charlie laughs. "Yeah. He's one of our leaders. He's a pretty gruff, no-nonsense kind of guy. He tends to run us pretty ragged… but he also knows what he's doing. He's one of the biggest reasons our movement has managed to survive this long." She frowns. "This Chosen is a lot harder to fight than Skeleton King was. Or, that's what I hear, anyway." She sighs and waves a hand. "I'm sure someone else can give you a better overview of the situation."

"Why were the formless after you in the first place?" Gibson examines something on a datapad—likely her medical results.

She shrugs. "My dad's pretty high up in the army. It's not the first time they've attacked me… though it's the first time they've done it while school is in session. They're always trying to use me to get to him. Someday they'll learn it's not gonna work."

"Does your dad work with Chiro?" Otto asks.

She grins. "Yeah, he does. And it's the coolest freakin' thing, lemme tell you. Chiro doesn't tell war stories a lot—not like the Sun Riders and Quint—but when he does… it's always worth getting a front row seat."

"You're close to him, then?" Antauri asks.

She nods. "One of the privileged few. I've known him since I was four."

The monkeys trade worried glances. "This war… it's been going on for a while then?"

She grimaces. "Unfortunately. We've done everything we can to hold them back—we've found a ton of people with access to the Power Primate, though none of them have the power that Chiro does. We've got some of the brightest minds in the universe working on offensive and defensive measures. But even with the leaps and bounds they've made in technology… even with the edge we have with the power primate users…" She shakes her head. "We're not losing, but we're not winning either. It's a tough situation, and we need whatever edge we can get."

"There's something I don't understand."

She looks at Sprx. "Yes?"

"Why leave Shuggazoom? Why not return to the city? Surely your army has an outpost here, if it's such a hotspot for attacks."

Charlie fights back a grimace. Shit. She knew that was going to come up. "I'd really like to answer that question… but I can't. Being the daughter of one of the marshals means I have access to classified information other people don't. I trust you guys—I do. But it's not my trust that matters. For now… let's just say I have my reasons, and I need to get back to the main base—to my father—as soon as possible."

Sprx frowns and crosses his arms. "You were out in the Blasted Lands for a reason, weren't you? Not just because you were running from formless."

Charlie can't quite hold back the grimace this time. "Yes," she admits begrudgingly.

"What was so important that they needed to send a seventeen-year-old after it?"

"How d'you know my age?" she asks, frowning.

"Lucky guess on my part," Gibson says.

"Ah."

Sprx shifts his stance; his gaze bores holes into her head.

"Look… they didn't send me after it, okay? I… Flipping that switch isn't the first sign of powers I've had. I can't—couldn't?—call on them actively and I certainly couldn't use them in combat… but sometimes… I have these dreams. Or feelings. And… they sort of… guide me? I knew I needed to get to that place and recover something from it… and then I knew it needed to go straight to my father. I can't trust anyone else with this. Now—stop asking questions."

"Or what?" Sprx raises an eyebrow. Eye ridge?

"Or nothing." Charlie shrugs. "I mean, I can't stop you, I guess. But I can stop answering."

He inclines his head. "Point."

Nova claps her hands once. "Okay. That settled… if you give us the coordinates to your base, we can get you there."

"We can?" Gibson and Sprx turn to her in shock.

"Of course we can!" Otto chirps. "And maybe while we're there, we can see Chiro again!"

They turn to Antauri.

"It's as sound a plan as any. If this data is as important as you believe it is, Charlie, then it needs to get to your superiors as soon as possible. And on the way there, we can talk about what your awakening of us means."

Charlie's stomach drops. Uh-oh. She hadn't actually considered that part of this whole ordeal.

Her father was going to kill her.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed! If you spot any mistakes, please let me know. You can find me on Tumblr as ladycravenheart or livvywrites! (There are some handy-dandy links on my profile ;) )


	2. chapter 2

So, I originally wasn't going to update until Thursday (6/7/2018) but then I found out we get my brother Wednesday and Thursday, and I won't have the time to actually make the post. So you get an early update ;)

* * *

 **the cycle starts again**

 _Lady Cravenheart_

* * *

 **2.**

* * *

Gibson does a brief examination before releasing her from the med-bay. It takes all of ten minutes, but by the end, he's satisfied with her health readouts. Nova returns her gun to her and Otto passes her the blueprints before the two of them scurry over to where Sprx is hunched over the bridge console. He left about halfway through Gibson's examination, to make sure the Super Robot was ready for spaceflight.

The walls have slid aside to reveal the large, theater sized screen to the world. A small circle in the upper corner displays all the life signs in the area. In one of the bottom corners, a readout displays the coordinates, the weather, the temperature, and other such useful things. It almost reminds her of a gamescreen on the RPGs she likes to play.

She sits in one of the orblike chairs. Specifically, the orange one. It's more comfy than she would have imagined, though the blinking lights on the sides are a bit distracting. She's not entirely sure what to do with herself, to be honest.

"Are you sure you don't want to stop in Shuggazoom to get your things?" Antauri asks.

She nearly starts at his voice. His approach was entirely too silent. She masks her shock quickly and turns to him, putting on a bright smile. "I'm sure. If I go back now, there's a good chance they won't let me leave—even if you guys are with me."

He nods. "I see."

"Thanks anyways, though. I'll make do."

"I'd offer you some of Chiro's things… but we no longer have any of them."

She shrugs. "It's fine—really. You have to stop for fuel at some point, and I know a stop not too far from here that's really close to a place you can get clothes for cheap. My wallets in my pocket—I don't go anywhere without it—and I can just use my credit chit [LP1] to buy some. Hygiene supplies too." She waves her hand.

Antauri crosses his arm. It doesn't look threatening; just casual. "You thought this through."

"Of course," she says. Charlie hates being away from the base. It might not be home per se, but it's where her father is. Being away… It made her uneasy. Jumpy. She was constantly having to go to the nurse for pills to settle her stomach. One of the only things that made it better was imagining all the ways she could escape from Shuggazoom and get back to him.

She had never planned to use them. But now…? Now, she has no other choice.

"I see."

Charlie wonders if he can really read minds. It was one of the more ridiculous theories out there… but hearing the surety in his voice… She gives herself a mental shake.

"Yo, Charles! What are the coordinates?" Sprx asks. He sits in the red chair. A wheel has slid up from the floor; a holo-screen obscures his face. His fingers hover over a keypad to his right.

Charlie makes a face. "Ugh. No. Pick a new nickname."

"Aw, but I like that one."

"Call me Charles and I'll call you Sparky." She glowers.

He rolls his eyes. "Alright, alright. I'll pick a new one. Now, the coordinates please?"

She repeats them dutifully and watches as his fingers fly over the keys. He clicks a few other things, then says— "Buckle up, everybody. Exiting the atmo is gonna get a bit rocky."

Antauri leaves her side; his steps near silent. He sits in his chair and straps the seatbelt around himself. The others do the same. Charlie buckles herself in as well, and reaches down to grasp the strap on her gun. She doesn't want it rolling everywhere, after all. Or, activating and firing every which way. That would suck too.

The ride starts out smooth, but as Sprx warned—the minute they hit atmo, things get bumpy. Charlie's teeth rattle and shake as her head swings from side to side. She presses her back harder into the cushions and grits her teeth. She hates this part.

It's over quickly enough. They leave the endless sky behind them in favor of billions upon billions of stars; shadows dancing between them. As far as Charlie is concerned, it looks like home.

She relaxes in her seat.

"You couldn't have made that any smoother?" Nova asks; her safety harness disappears back into its confines. "I thought you said you were the best pilot this end of the cosmos!"

Sprx crosses his arms. "Hey, the Super Robot's been in sleep mode for over twenty years, Nova, and it's only been on for three hours. I haven't even run a full diagnostic yet! So _excuse me_ if things are a little bumpier now."

Gibson sighs. He leans into Antauri—both already up and standing at the console—and says, "I thought their newfound 'relationship' would tone down the bickering, not make it worse," he whispers.

"There is a reason the saying 'bickering like an old married couple' exists," Antauri says wisely.

Gibson sighs again; heavier this time. "I suppose. I do wish they would can it for a couple hours."

"To be fair," Otto says from his place beneath the console, "we _did_ have over twenty years of silence."

"We were asleep. That doesn't count."

Otto shrugs. "Yeah, but, normally when we sleep there's _some_ kind of noise. Like your sleep-babble or my snoring. In stasis… there's nothing."

"I suppose. I still say it doesn't count."

Charlie slips out of her own seatbelt and hoists her gun on her back. "Hey, guys?" she says.

Sprx and Nova turn to look at her. Charlie takes a second to observe them. They aren't standing as if they were arguing heatedly; their bodies are turned into each other… a display of intimacy instead of anger or annoyance. She can't help but feel as though she interrupted something.

She presses on, regardless. "So, I know I just took a nap earlier, but the adrenaline is finally started to leave my system. I'd rather not crash in one of the chairs. You got somewhere for me to stay?"

The two exchanged a look before Nova gave a sharp, short nod. "Yeah. This way." The two squeeze together into the yellow tube and Nova clicks something on the map. Charlie's stomach bottoms out as they fly upwards. She tightens her fist around the blueprints, crinkling them. Just like before, it comes to a halt almost as quickly as it started. A dimly lit hallway is revealed to her. Nova flips up one of the pieces on her arm and taps something into a holopad that appears. The lights brighten.

On one side of the hall are six multicolored tubes; pressed close together, with barely half a foot of space between them. On the other side of the hall is a door.

Nova gestured to it. "That used to be Mandarin's office, but we converted it into a bedroom when Chiro stayed with us. You can stay there or you can use one of the sleeper pods… though I don't think humans like them much."

Charlie shrugged. "They're not _that_ bad… but I prefer a bed if I can get one."

Nova nods. "We removed the passcode on it, so you don't have to worry about typing anything in. If you need anything, there's a console that allows you to access a private communications channel, or send a message."

"Thanks." Charlie smiles.

"We'll wake you when it's time to grab fuel. We'll need to get food, and you'll need spare clothes."

Charlie's eyes light up. "Oh! That reminds me. There's a really great fuel stop near here that has easy access to a good place for supplies and clothes. Let me give you the coordinates so you can pass them on."

Nova signals her to give them and Charlie recites them easily. They part ways. When Nova disappears back downstairs, Charlie opens the door.

The room is spacious for a bedroom on a ship. She's been on larger vessels whose bedrooms look more akin to a closet then a place designed for sleep. It's barren, too. A chest of drawers is bolted to the floor. A full length mirror hangs on the wall. A console/desk hybrid is in one corner next to an empty bookshelf. A sliding door conceals a closet. The bed is full sized—larger than her bed back at the dorms—and dressed in white sheets with a light blue blanket.

She hangs the gun in the closet—she'll find a better place for it later—and drops her goggles and the blueprints on the desk. She shucks her outer clothes and shoes, letting them fall in a messy pile on the floor of the closet, leaving her in just her underwear. She slips her hair from its ponytail and wears the elastic around her wrist like a bracelet.

Then, she flops into bed and yanks the blankets over her shoulders. They're soft and clean—not what she expected after twenty years. But, then—she yawns—the whole Super Robot is less dusty than she would have expected. Maybe they have automatic cleaner robots… or dust repellant?

Whatever the case, she's glad she doesn't have to shake out her bed. She's not entirely sure she could move right now.

Her eyes slide shut.

* * *

She wakes to a knock on the door.

"Charlie?"

Ugh. What time is it? She's pretty sure she's not supposed to have any classes today.

Charlie rolls over; hand reaching out to grab her clock. All she finds is empty space.

What the—?

She sits up; the blanket falling and exposing cool air over naked skin. This isn't her dorm room.

"Charlie? We got to that stop you mentioned?" Female. Uncertain. Vaguely familiar.

Where has she heard that voice…?

 _Holy shit_.

It all comes rushing back. The data chip. The formless. The alchemist's lab. The gun. The _hyper force_.

That's _Nova_ at her door.

Charlie sucks in a breath. _Holy shit_.

She throws the blanket off her legs. "Be there in a minute!" she calls. She waves the closet open—motion activated doors are the best—and scoops her clothes into her arms. She dumps them onto her bed and then starts picking through them. Tank and leggings on first. Then her blouse. Skirt. Blazer. Shoes. In lieu of a brush, she runs her fingers through her hair a few times, taking care of the largest knots. She pulls her hair into a ponytail and snaps the band around it as she steps out the door.

Nova is leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed casually over her chest.

Charlie smiles. "How long was I out?"

"Three hours," Nova says.

"Huh."

"Surprised?"

"Yeah. Most people take about five hours to reach this rest stop!" Charlie shakes her head, the corner of her mouth pulled up in a smile. "I guess they really don't call Sprx the best pilot for nothing!"

"Well, don't tell _him_ that," Nova says with a laugh. "He's got a big enough head already!"

Charlie chuckles. "My lips are sealed."

They whoosh down the elevators again, squeezing into the yellow pod. Her stomach still drops to her feet, but it's nothing like it was at first. She doesn't think she'll ever enjoy the rush of the elevators, but at least the urge to scream was dying down.

They bypass the bridge and go straight down to the exit at the foot. The others have already gathered around the fuel pump; Otto in the process of hooking it in as they walk out. Charlie goes over to lean against one of the struts supporting the hood over the station.

"I thought you were going clothes shopping." Sprx's voice sounds mild but he squints suspiciously at her.

She sends him a thousand-watt smile. It takes him off guard. "Of course I am. But someone's gotta pay for the fuel, yeah? And I really don't think any of you have an up to date credit chit. I mean, you _might_ be able to get it for free by waltzing in and announcing the Hyper Force has returned, but I really don't think you want to do that until you've talked to the resistance."

Sprx deflates. "Right. Didn't think of that."

Neither had the others, if they way they shift from foot-to-foot is any indication. Antauri, hovering in the lotus position above their heads, is the only one who seems unbothered.

Emphasis on seems.

"You gonna be able to afford it all?" Otto asks hesitantly, wringing his tail between his hands.

Charlie waves a hand. "I'm a trust fund baby. Don't worry about me." She winks.

Dad didn't have a lot of family. Parents died when he was little, and his aunt and uncle shipped him off to boarding school—same one she attended now, actually. But a few years before Charlie came into the picture, said aunt and uncle passed away. His uncle was an only child, and the heir to a vast fortune. Neither of them had drawn up a will before they passed, and as the only living family member, it had gone to him.

"Doesn't the resistance need that money?" Gibson asks.

Charlie smiles wryly. "When I say resistance, what are you guys picturing? A ragtag team of heroes, on the outskirts of the cosmos? Scraping to get by?" She shakes her head. "We've got entire planets behind us. And even if we didn't, getting you guys and this data back to the base would be an acceptable use of funds. _Believe_ me."

"You've got people, then?" Nova asks. "Couldn't you just pass the information onto someone else? Why does a teenage girl have to deliver it?"

"Why'd a teenage boy have to fight Skeleton King?" Charlie threw back. "Why'd a teenage boy have to lead an army? Why'd a teenage boy get chosen to wield one of the greatest powers in the universe?"

None of them would look at her.

She softened a bit. "It's _because_ we have so many people that I can't trust just anyone to deliver this. You know how easy it would be for big bad to shove some spies into our ranks? Damn easy. Not something we're proud of, but we take every able-bodied soldier we can get. You gotta work up the ranks, prove yourself. And even then we operate with varying levels of secrecy. Only reason they trust _me_ is because I was raised in it." Absent mindedly, she fingered her pocket. "This info needs to go straight to the top. I'd prefer to only put it in my dad's hands."

"What about Chiro's?" She doesn't think she's imagining the trace of hostility in Sprx's voice.

She ignores it. "His too. But people don't just waltz into his office, you know?"

Sprx deflates again.

There's a beep. "Done!" Otto replaces the fuel nozzle. "Let's pay. Where do we pick up rations?"

"You can order them at the counter. I'll take care of it." Charlie pushed off the wall and pulled her wallet out. She made a beeline for the store, trailed by five multi-colored monkeys.

At least they wouldn't make a scene.

…she wondered how they would react to knowing there were other cybernetic monkeys out there? Not only had there been intelligent simian species lurking on the corners of the galaxy, but after the Hyper Force had disappeared, cybernetic animals had been all the rage for the mad scientists of the world.

Well, Charlie isn't going to be the one to tell them.

She walks up to the counter. "Pump six," she says.

The cashier is a luryant. A luryant looks a bit like the mythical centaur, with the torso resembling a humans and their lower body akin to a small horse. They have four eyes. Rather than a nose, they have too small slits where a human's nostrils would be, and a small mouth consisting of pointy teeth. Despite this, most are entirely vegetarian—the teeth adapted to the tough fruits of their home planet, Seppha.

Seppha was _gorgeous_. Charlie had only ever been twice, but both times, she never wanted to leave. Sweet air, devoid of any sort of pollution. Blue, blue skies; deep purple flowers and trees; vibrant green grass… Not to mention the absolutely _lovely_ structure of their houses.

The luryant behind the counter—Venub, by the nametag—had been born female. The deep purple fur gave her away. (Males came in shades of yellow, red, and orange, while females were usually purple, blue, or green.) However, it was impolite to assume—even if most luryants stuck to the gender binary, there was always someone who didn't.)

Venub pulls pump 6 up onto the computer. "That'll be 600 credits."

Charlie swipes her chit and signs off on the purchase.

"Will that be all?"

Charlie shakes her head. "We're making a long trip, and our rations are low. We've got a six person crew, and we're not making another stop for at least two weeks, galactic standard. Maybe even a month."

Venub nods. "Understood. Our rations come through the Strexa Empire company. Do you have an account with them?"

"I do!" Charlie smiles, and rattles off the account number and verifications as asked.

"We can have those ready and delivered in about an hour and a half."

Someone who sounds vaguely like Sprx begins to sputter. Then, yelp. Charlie doesn't even want to know. "That'll be fine. Do I swipe now?"

"Yes. You would normally be paying 700 credits, but because of your member ship, you'll be paying 500. Further reductions will happen during your yearly membership review."

Charlie nods, and swipes her card again.

"Please have someone ready to receive the shipment. Thank you for shopping with us, and have a great day."

"You too." Charlie steps away from the counter, guiding the monkeys out, and lets the person behind them takes the next slot.

"I'll stay with the robot," Otto volunteers.

"I really don't think it's going to take me an hour and a half to shop," Charlie says dryly. "But alright."

Otto just winks. "You never know." He skips off back toward the robot, humming a tune to himself.

"Anybody else want to go with him?"

"You tryna ditch us, kiddo?" Sprx raises an eyebrow.

Charlie rolls her eyes. "Watching me shop is going to be _boring_ ," she says.

"So is waiting by the fuel pump."

"Point." She waves a hand. "Come if you want, then."

She leads the four remaining monkeys over to the nearest convenience store. She grabs a cart and makes a beeline for the hygiene products. Dental first.

"Don't they include that stuff with the rations kit?" Sprx asks, as Charlie tosses a pack of disposable toothbrushes into the cart.

"Okay, first thing you gotta know about the rations kit," Charlie says. "Straxa is known for their high quality food and excellent medical kits, which is why the resistance primarily buys from them. But they're _not_ known for great hygiene kits. Plus, I'm allergic to the toothpaste they include."

"We'll need to go over allergies when we get back to the ship," Gibson says after a pause.

"Can do," Charlie affirms. She tosses some toothpaste in the cart, then turns down another aisle. She grabs one of the bulk boxes of pads and tosses it into the cart. After a moments consideration, she tosses a second one in. Better safe than sorry.

(She can't wait to reach twenty-one. Hormone shots are a blessing in space. Of course, she'll probably one of the unlucky who don't get approved into they're twenty-five.)

Next: shower items. Conditioner, shampoo, body wash, shaving cream, razors, and moisturizer. She tosses her favorite cheap brands into the cart and then moves along.

Hair care. Simple enough—a brush, a package of hairbands, and a headband. Done.

"Now, clothes."

A woman on a mission, she makes her way toward the clothing aisles. A few packs of underwear, three bras—all comfortable and made for activity. For day clothes, she tosses five pairs of leggings; two skirts; and five t-shirts into the basket, primarily looking at price over style. She gets a pack of socks.

Pajamas are easy. A pack of tank tops from the men's section; some sleep shorts and sweatpants from the woman's.

Her shoes are good enough. She grabs one pair of jeans and a jacket, just in case it gets cold. A wardrobe built, she makes her way over to the self-checkouts.

Between the five of them, they get her items scanned and bagged quickly, and then Charlie is swiping her card for a total of 150 credits. She grimaces. 500 on supplies; 600 on fuel; and now 150 on clothes and self-care. At least her dad is the understanding type. He's not going to be happy that she's somehow found a destiny tied up in the monkey team—great of an honor as it is, it means she's going to be a hell of a lot closer to the front line than _any_ parent wants their child.

They carry them out to the Robot and still have an hour to go before their rations are brought out.

"I don't really think you bought enough winter items," Gibson fusses.

"I don't plan on making too many stops," Charlie says. "We'll head straight for the base—on Koralodal, by the way. I've got a much better wardrobe there, and I can pack for all sorts of weather. Though… that's counting on the fact that they let me leave with you."

Sprx screws up his face. "Let you— Not just anyone can pull that switch, you know! You're our leader now, kiddo."

Charlie shrugs. "Maybe. But I'm also seventeen. And that might be legal age on some planets, but on Shuggazoom—where my dad and I are from, so that's what we use—it's eighteen. So he gets final say on whether or not I go with you guys, and I'm not sure how much destiny and fate is going to sway him when it comes to my life being on the line.

"If I try to leave anyway, I'm going to be a runaway, and they'll be well within their rights to track me down and bring me back, even if that's kicking and screaming. Not to mention, they would freeze my account—meaning no more fuel and supplies. We can probably find a way around the fuel bit, but it's going to be more difficult to get around the rations. I guess you could try opening your old account on Shuggazoom, but they'll be watching for that, and they'll be able to track any payment we make. Doesn't help that the Super Robot is a _very_ distinctive ship.

"This isn't like before. Chiro was an orphan. Before you guys, he might as well have been nameless. I know that sounds callous, but unfortunately, it's true. His surviving relatives didn't care about him until he was famous, and by then, _he_ didn't care about _them_. There was no one coming to claim him." She shrugs. "Me? I was raised by a small village of people, and if they decide rolling around the cosmos in a giant robot is too dangerous, well. It's going to be pretty hard to get around."

Sprx falls quiet.

Charlie sends the team a small smile. "Worst comes to worst, we'll figure something out. Right now, let's just focus on getting to the resistance base, yeah?" She inclines her head toward Gibson. "I'm going to go set my stuff up in my room, and then we can have that medical history talk, if you want."

Gibson nods. "Alright."

* * *

[LP1]Shamelessly stolen from Mass Effect.


	3. chapter 3

So, y'know, last week you got an early update. This week, you get a late one. Whoops. (Okay, it's not that late. But. Y'know.)

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **the cycle starts again**

 _Lady Cravenheart_

* * *

 **3.**

* * *

Sprx frowns as he watches Charlie disappear into the Robot. "I'm not sure I like the sound of this 'resistance'," he says. "Not sure I really want to take her back, to be honest."

Gibson throws him a scathing look. "We can't keep her away from her family, Sprx."

Sprx rolls his eyes and waves a hand dismissively. "I know, I know. But… she claims she's got all these people who care about her but…" He rubs the side of his face, and turns to face the team more fully. "Koraladol ain't exactly a hop, skip, and a jump from Shuggazoom, ya know? You'd think they have regular check-ins. To make sure she's okay. But… she seems to think she can get there without anyone noticing she's gone."

"I believe you're jumping to conclusions, Sprx. Not only has she not said anything about getting there unnoticed, but there are many ways that she could get around that issue!" Gibson has adopted the know-it-all tone he often uses around Sprx—that "I'm so much smarter than you" way of speaking that never fails to raise Sprx's hackles. "They could check in on her through text comm instead of video, after all. However, I think it more likely that she believes that no one will notice her absence until it is too late to stop her. She _does_ have schoolteachers to report her absence, after all. Which brings us to my concerns—her education."

"If that chip is as vital as she thinks it is, that's a bit more important than attending class, don't'cha thing, Brainstrain?" Sprx says dryly.

"Well, of course," Gibson says. "But I find it hard to believe that she doesn't have _someone_ she can trust to take it along instead of missing out."

"She's seventeen, right?" Otto says thoughtfully. "She'd be on her last year of school, then. It's right around—what'd Chiro call it? Finals?"

"Yes," Gibson says. "We had them at university too." He taps his chin in thought. "They could probably let her get away with just taking her final courses, though I still don't approve of her skipping them."

"She seemed a bit desperate to get off planet, if you ask me," Nova says, arms crossed. "Relaxed the second we exited atmo. I don't think she needed a big excuse to jump ship."

"You sayin' you don't think those files are as big a deal as she's actin'?" Sprx asks.

Nova shrugs. "I'm sure they're important… but they might not be the life-or-death situation we think they are. Can't know for sure unless we get a look at them, though… and I don't think she's going to let us."

Sprx scowls. "Not like we're working for this 'big bad'. We've been asleep for over twenty years!"

"Not _that_ much over," Otto says.

"Not the point." Sprx swipes his hand dismissively. "We haven't been involved in any of it. What's the deal?"

"She did say it wasn't her decision that counted," Otto says reasonably. "She said that if it were up to her, she'd trust us. But it's not. It's up to the resistance's leaders."

"Which she hasn't named! The only one we know of is Chiro. She mentioned some of our old allies were involved too, though we have no way of knowing how high up the food chain they are. We. Know. Nothing. And even Charlie, born and raised resistance, doesn't seem to trust 'em!" Sprx huffs. "All I'm sayin' is… We don't know anything about what we're walkin' into, and I don't like being in the dark. I want more answers from Charlie, and I'd like 'em as soon as possible."

Nova places her hand on his shoulder. He leans into it. "We've known her less than six hours," she says gently. "We'll get our answers. But we need to wait. She barely knows us! She's got no reason to trust us other than some old stories. And we don't know anything about her. Just that the Power Primate chose her to join us. We're blind on a lot of fronts here."

"Yeah, I know." Sprx scowls. "And I _hate_ walkin' blind." Just the word reminded him of that night of fear that Mandarin had brought them under Chiro's command. Being blind—

Even metaphorically, he hated it.

Nova slides her hand from his shoulder to grab his hand. She squeezes. "We've got time," she says. "Let Gibson build his medical file first. Tomorrow, we'll start asking questions. We'll start easy—get a layout of the enemy first. It'll be easier to get her to talk about that than her allies. Start there, build up."

Sprx takes a breath, lets it out slow, and rubs the bridge of his muzzle with his free hand. "Yeah. Alright."

It's not just the mystery of this 'resistance' that has him on edge, though. But he can't talk to the team about the rest of it. He can't tell them that he's not ready to see Chiro yet—because how could he not be? How could he not be ready to see what became of their boy-hero?

He wants to. Hell yes he wants to.

But…

They just abandoned him. Four years down the drain, all because Antauri got some sort of 'feeling' from the mystical force none of them really understand. It was a shitty thing to do, and Sprx is more than a little pissed at Antauri over it.

"It's for the best," he said. "There will always be evil in the world," he said. "Chiro deserves a chance to be normal," he said.

Like the Kid could ever be normal after all the shit the universe threw at him. Like, after becoming a war hero, the world would ever see him as a boy again. Like he could ever forget about the monkey team. Like he could ever _let go_ of the way the team just up and left him.

They didn't even give him a proper send off. Four and half years of growing together; of learning to care about each other; and they just… boxed his stuff up and left it on the landing strip. No easing him into it, no goodbyes. Just there and gone.

 _"A clean break,"_ Antauri had said.

Well, "Bullshit," Sprx says.

The kid ain't gonna be happy to see them, and it's gonna break every one of their hearts. Otto might never recover from it.

He's gonna be even less happy when he finds out that they replaced him with a seventeen year old girl.

Hell, _Sprx_ isn't happy about it. They're all going to get attached to this one too. Except maybe Antauri; the emotionless bastard. But when this new enemy is dead, they're just gonna cut her out too. Go back to sleep and wait for the next one.

Sprx is so tempted to cut-and-run. If this is how it's gonna be, he's not sure he wants anything to do with the Hyper Force anymore, no matter what grand delusions Antauri has. If staying with the Hyper Force means he's going to spend his considerable lifespan fighting one war after another, replacing leader after leader with new teens, watching them grow and learn and _become_ , only to leave them in the end…

Well. Count him out.

That ain't what he signed up for.

(Not that he signed up at all.)

He glances at Nova.

She ain't gonna see it that way, though. She's not like Antauri. Doesn't see the beauty in serving some higher purpose; fighting battle after battle because some mystical force demands it. But she's a soldier. A hero. She's got inherent nobility that'll make her want to stay, and fight. Bear the burdens because the universe demands it. She won't abandon the team unless it falls apart around her ears.

Of course, if they abandon another one, just to wake up to someone _else_ to get attached to… Especially if it's another young one, like Chiro.

It might not take much for them to fall apart at all.

Still, Sprx isn't sure he wants to stick around for a third. But he's also not ready to drop Nova, either. He loves her. Has loved her for a damn long time, even if he hasn't said the words yet. Their relationship is still new, tentative. He doesn't want to let it go if he doesn't have to.

He rubs his forehead with his free hand. Monkey doodle. When did his life get so damn complicated?

* * *

Charlie returns to retrieve Gibson, who tells them to let him know whether they need help loading the supplies, and then disappears with her, ready to build up her medical file. Sprx watches them go. Charlie smiles easily, body language open and friendly. Gibson is more reticent, but he always is. Never quite the social butterfly, that one.

The supplies come about twenty minutes after—ahead of schedule. None of the workers recognize them. It's odd, but Sprx is grateful. He, like Charlie, would prefer their return stay quiet, at least for a while.

It's not the norm for him—he's not shy to admit he enjoys the attention. But he needs time to get his head on straight.

Once the supplies have been loaded into the Robot, Sprx splits away from the others. He goes to prepare the Robot for take off. Antauri follows him, for whatever reason, leaving Nova and Otto behind to care for the supplies.

Antauri hasn't spoken much since they woke. He was never a talkative monkey to begin with, but even he isn't usually this quiet.

Not that Sprx is complainng. He's not sure how much of that sanctimonious bullshit he can take. Hell, Antauri probably knows that. He's probably a real chatty Cathy when Sprx isn't around.

Sprx scowls.

He taps the keys with more force than necessary, yanking levers with just enough force that it's satisfying but not harmful. The Robot climbs into spaceflight with his usual grace; only a few percentiles off from perfect. Once he's used to flying again, he'll be back to normal.

(Sprx still isn't used to referring to a ship as a 'he'.)

He sets the autopilot coordinates for Koralodal, and then pops into the medbay to get the coordinates for the next rest stop.

Of course… first, he takes the chance to get a good look at their new leader.

Charlie looks so much like Chiro—enough that it's near painful. Raven hair. Round, youthful face. Upturned nose. Pointed ears. Small mouth. Blue eyes. At a glance, it's jarring.

But when Sprx takes a closer look, he sees the difference.

Her eyes are a paler shade of blue than Chiro's, and a different shape—smaller, more slanted. Her skin is tanned; unlike Chiro, who never seemed to get enough sunlight. Her hair is long, and kept in a high ponytail; only a few wisps falling into her face. She's got a bigger, more rounded nose. A sharper chin. A smattering of freckles, most prominently across her nose. Different—but seeing her out of the corner of his eye…

Sprx shakes his head.

He clears his throat.

She jerks, banging her leg against the table. She turns to him with a smile, regardless; somehow passing it off as something happy instead of a pained grimace. He's almost impressed. "Yes?" she asks.

"Got the coordinates for the next rest stop? I'd like to set the coordinates."

"Oh." She thinks for a moment, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes light when she finds the answer, and she rattles them off proudly.

Sprx gives her a short nod. "Thanks." He spins on his heel and walks out the door, letting it swish closed behind him before she can even finish her reply. He walks over to the keypad and re-inputs the coordinates.

He turns to Antauri. "I'm going to help Otto and Nova." His tone is sharper than he meant it to be.

"Wait."

Sprx pauses. He's already stepped past he silver monkey. He's hovering lower than usual; his knee level with Sprx's ear. Just above his shoulder. "Yeah?" He doesn't turn around, doesn't even look over his shoulder. Just stands there, still.

"I know you're angry with me," Antauri says. "And you have every right to be. But in time—"

"Yeah," Sprx says, curling his hands into fists. "Don't feed me that bullshit. You're family, so I'll let it go eventually. But what we did… It was shitty, and you damn well know it. It was shitty of us to dump his stuff on the sidewall and pretend like four years of our lives meant nothing. Pretend that we didn't watch him grow up, didn't change his life. And it was shitty of you to ask us to abandon family. I ain't gonna forgive you. I ain't gonna let it go—not really. But I'll put it aside. But you gotta let me be angry, first."

Antauri chews on his words and Sprx waits. He doesn't want to have this conversation now—doesn't want to have it ever, really. But it's gotta happen, one way or another, and better now than later.

"Don't let it affect the team," Antaury says, finally. "We can't—"

"I know." The words come, knife sharp. His temper is building with every word Antauri says, and he's only said a handful. "I know. I'm not petty enough to let it affect the battlefield, okay, Antauri? Learned that lesson already. But I ain't gonna listen to whatever bullshit you're gonna spew about it being 'what's best,' either. So shove it."

Sprx starts walking off again, but even Antauri has moments where he can't leave well enough alone. "It _was_ for the best, Sprx. The universe— _Shuggazoom_ —must come first. We have a duty—"

"I don't give a _shit_ about some 'galactic duty.' Thought I made that clear from day one. I only stuck around, the first run through, because I had nowhere else to go. And when I _did_ …" He shrugs. "You guys were family. That means something to me." The words are pointed, meant to jab. But he doesn't turn to check if they hit their mark. Not that he could tell if they did. He steps into his tube.

"Glad we had that talk." He punches the cargo bay key with more force than necessary.

Once the bridge is out of sight, Sprx closes his eyes and takes a breath as he flies down to the cargo bay. On a normal day, Sprx would say he gets along with Gibson the least. The monkey is like a brother to him, but boy does he rub him the wrong way.

But he had forgotten, somewhere along the way, how much Antauri irritated him when they disagreed about something. Especially when Antauri was doing it for some higher power.

* * *

Antauri watches Sprx go, and sighs as the elevator whisks him out of sight. Why are his teammates so stubborn?

Do they not understand that leaving Chiro was hard on him as well? The evil had been settled, and while there would always be more out there to fight… Chiro deserved better than that. He deserved to _live_. To get married and have kids, if he wanted. To grow beyond the hyper force; beyond their small, tightly-knit family.

The monkey team was holding him back from doing so.

And the Power Primate had seemed—still seemed—to agree with him. A new threat had risen and with that threat came a new hero.

Antauri regrets the pain he's caused his teammates; the pain he's sure his apprentice had to live through. But he cannot bring himself to regret the decision itself.

Chiro deserved more than this.

And truly? So does Charlene. But she has a destiny to play out, and though it pains him that the universe is, once again, resting on the shoulders of a teenager… Antauri will follow the will of the Power Primate.

* * *

"You're tense," Nova says, when they're out of earshot from Otto. Sprx isn't the best at 'feelings talk'—to be honest, neither is she—but he's even worse about it when there are others in earshot. "What's got you wound up? Is this still about the resistance thing?"

Sprx shrugs. He places another box of cookware into the kitchen pile. "A little."

"You wanna… talk about it?" Nova opens a box. A bunch of pill bottles. She puts it in the medbay pile.

Sprx grunts. He opens a box with more force than necessary. "I just… All of this is bullshit, isn't it?"

"You're going to have to be more specific," Nova says dryly, dragging another box into the kitchen pile.

"I dunno. Everything. Leaving Chiro. Waking up to a new leader— _again_. Getting stuck in another war." He sits on one of the boxes, and rubs at his cheek. "I mean, is this really all that's out there for us?"

Nova grimaces. She sits down too. "I don't know, Sprx. It's not— This isn't what I had in mind, when we started protecting Shuggazoom."

Sprx sighs. "It's ridiculous. I just… we just tossed four and a half years down the drain like it was nothin'. Left without even a goodbye, and now… we show up again, and… I'm glad we'll get to see him again, it's not like I wish we had shown up after he was dead… except…"

Nova waits.

"Except I kinda do. Because I don't see how this is gonna end well. He's not going to be happy with us, Nova, and frankly—we deserve it. We don't deserve his forgiveness because it was a shitty move, and—" He cuts himself off by slamming his fist on a box, rattling the contents. "I don't want to see it."

Nova pauses. She's not used to having to consider what she says before she says it, but this— It's important. "It might be good to get closure, though," she says. "Finally say goodbye. Even if he is angry at us… at least… I mean, we'll know where he ended up. Get to hear, from _him_ , how things turned out. It could have easily been two hundred and ten years, instead of twenty-one. Who knows how much would have been lost."

Sprx sighs again. "Yeah. I know. I just— Why did we have to leave in the first place?"

"Antauri said—"

"I know what Antauri said!"

Nova jumps. Sprx isn't usually so aggressive—not towards her. There's vehemence in his tone, and it doesn't sound right there. Not at all.

He takes a breath. "I know what Antauri says." He makes an effort to soften his tone. "He said there would always be evil. That it was time to take a break. Let Chiro go, be normal. We'll wait until we're needed. I _remember_. But you know what else I know? It's only been twenty-one years. If we had stayed… could we have prevented things from getting this bad?"

"I think…" Nova pauses. "I think… that the Power Primate had already chosen someone else to fight this one. If we had stuck around… we might have been able to fight it off… keep things down, but…" She wets her lips. "Charlie was picked to defeat this one, and with Chiro still acting as leader… we might not have met her. She might— Who knows where she might have ended up? And then where would we be?"

"If destiny is real, though, she would have found a way there, right?"

Sprx. Always has to be contrary.

"Unless destiny is just something you forge yourself."

"Then being the 'Chosen One' is a crock of shit."

Nova shrugs. "I'm not a spiritual person, Sprx. The closest I get is centering my mind before a fight. You wanna talk about fate, destiny? You've gotta go to Antauri."

Sprx huffs. "Yeah. Not gonna happen."

"It's not Antauri's fault—"

Sprx shoots her a wide-eyed look. "Really? If he hadn't been the one to give the order—which, by the way, was _Chiro's_ place—then we would be in a very different place right now!"

"He was just—"

Sprx shakes his head. "Don't. Please. I—" He sighs, again, shoulders hunching in on themselves. "I'll get over it. Put it aside. But not yet."

Nova lets the words go, and wraps an arm around him instead. She presses her muzzle against his cheek, and her forehead against his temple, and they just sit there. Quiet.

This is better than words.

* * *

Was that a Spova moment at the end? Why, I do believe it was! We should have more, shouldn't we? (And maybe I should write some standalone Spova. That would be fun. Any prompts, guys?)

Also, tbh, I really, really like my Sprx voice in this. I'm still getting back in the hang of everyone's individual voices, but I think I've got Sprx's pretty good. :D What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading!


	4. chapter 4

So... this is a short one, and I apologize for that. I kept trying to fill it with things, but nothing was working, so in the end I just left it as is. However, to make up for that, and the fact that I was gone for so long (real life is a biiitch), you get two updates instead of just one! And the next chapter has plot relevant stuff :D

* * *

 **The Cycle Starts Again**

 _Lady Cravenheart_

* * *

 **4.**

* * *

Sprx cooks, and it's delicious. Salad, tossed in a thin layer of dressing and built with dried fruits, nuts, and croutons. A vegetarian pasta dish, with meat served on the side for those who wanted it. Charlie devours two plates of pasta and a large bowl of salad.

"Jeez, kiddo. Slow down," Sprx says. "You'd think you hadn't eaten in a week."

Charlie gulps down her noodles. "I haven't eaten since breakfast this morning," she says, shrugging.

Gibson sputters. "Why didn't you _say_ anything?"

Charlie shrugs again and spins her fork through the pasta. "Not like we had any food," she says.

"You could have grabbed yourself something from the convenience store," Gibson says, still looking horrified.

"Don't worry about it, Gibson." Charlie stuffs another bite in her mouth; chews; swallows. "It's fine. I'm eating now, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"I take better care of myself usually," Charlie assures him. "I had a lot on my mind. Escaping from the formless, rediscovering the hyper force, an adrenaline crash, stocking up on supplies… all important things! The important thing is that I'm eating now." She spears a piece of meat with her fork and stuffs it in her mouth.

Gibson grimaces. "I suppose."

Charlie chews and swallows. "Never mind that. I'm sure all of you have questions. Twenty-one years in stasis means a lot's changed."

Sprx opens his mouth, but Nova beats him to the punch. "We did have some questions about these new enemies, but it can wait until tomorrow. It's been a very busy day."

Sprx scowls and side-eyes Nova. " _I_ would also like to know more about the resistance."

Nova glares at him.

Charlie claps her hands together, startling both. Otto's fork clatters against his plate and he flushes, smiling sheepishly as he picks it up. Charlie smiles at him before addressing Sprx and Nova.

"Both excellent topics! I'll start with our new enemies, since that's the most immediate problem, but discussions of the resistance will probably overlap. What would you like to start with?"

"Who _is_ this enemy?" Antauri asks.

Charlie shrugs. "She calls herself Queen Nakama the Undying. Her army, like Skeleton King's before her, is comprised mostly of formless minions, but she has three trusted generals.

"Zhang Jian. He controls most of the armies. He doesn't take prisoners unless explicitly instructed to, and he shows no mercy. He's undead—a lich, to be exact. My father killed him at the beginning of the war, only for Nakama to raise him again. Many of us believe that he may be her husband. He controls his own warship, which looks similar to the Citadel of Bone. His army is primarily made up of formless foot soldiers; crystal formless; formless war dogs; and giant ooze monsters.

"Antoine's warship is smaller. It's got stealth systems that can avoid even the most finicky of detection devices. He doesn't pop up in battle much. His formless, though, can be found pretty much anywhere. According to various sources, they weren't around during the first war. They're capable of collapsing into goo and moving around the battlefield as a liquid rather than a solid creature. They don't have any bone outer parts like a foot soldier does and are entirely just humanoid forms of ooze.

"Koizumi doesn't have a warship. She has a skeletal dragon. She's a spellcaster and a very powerful one. She's studied dark magic extensively, and can wipe out an entire battalion with just a few spells. Our Power Primate users are our first and only defense against her. Shielding has become their most important power." Charlie drums her fingers against the table.

"An entire battalion? Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"

Charlie grimaces.

 _"Pa-the-tic," Koizumi sighed, stretching out her hand._

 _A cloud passed over the sun. The battlefield grew darker. Ice began to creep around the corners of the battlefield; surrounding them at all sides. The tendrils began to grow; cracking and snapping. It snatched formless and resistance soldiers alike in its maw._

 _The battlefield was an icy sculpture; fighters caught in mid movement. The cloud slid away from the sun, and those left behind sparkled in the sunlight._

 _It was beautiful._

 _Koizumi made a fist and squeezed._

 _CRACK._

 _Tiny tendrils slid across each statue… and then they fell to pieces._

 _Charlie whimpered, and ducked further down beneath the windowsill. She covered her ears._

 _Fire would come next._

Charlie shakes her head, and tucks the memory back into the dark recesses of her mind. "I wish I was," she says. "Too many good people have been lost because of her surprise visits."

"How does she survive inter-planetary travel without a ship?"

"She uses portals to jump from planet to planet[LP1] ," Charlie says. "I also believe she's capable of creating a shield around herself."

"Why Koraladol?" Antauri asks, the question escaping as if he can't fight it anymore. "It fell, during the fight against Skeleton King. The Varons—they betrayed us all."

"I know," Charlie says easily. "But not every Varon supported—or even knew about—Master Xan's decision. You weren't the only one kept in the dark, Antauri. When the Robot left, the remaining Varons turned to rebuild. Koraladol is the planet with the strongest connection to the Power Primate. It flows there like nothing else, and all across its surface are monasteries—some forgotten, some still active—with records and books that speak, in depth, of the Power Primate's capabilities.

"Skeleton King targeted Shuggazoom because he wanted to rid himself of the last bit of humanity he had left. Nakama targets Koraladol because of its power. She wants to control or destroy the planet, and so… we protect it." Charlie shrugs again.

Antauri goes quiet, and nods. "I see."

"What else do you want to know?"

"Who leads the resistance?" It's Sprx this time, his hands braced against the table. He's halfway out of his chair. The stories said he was more volatile after the Fire of Hate incident, and Charlie sees its evidence firsthand.

"Mobius Quint, Super Quasar, and Sirthana command our naval divisions. Korlean, Oliana, and Aurora Six command our ground army. Johnny Sunspot commands the weapons division. Suupa our xenobiology division. Communications are manned by Jinmay. Xala, one of the few remaining Varons, is our spiritual leader. Chiro leads our army." Charlie bites her lip. "Those are the council members that most frequently comm in, and a lot of them are actually based on Koraladol. But the council spans the galaxy, and there are a lot more. The rest of Suupa's team has a place on the council, for instance." She shakes her head.

"What about your dad?" Sprx asks. "Where's he work?"

"He's a member of the council," she says.

They don't ask further. She likes that about the monkey team. They don't press for information—or, at least, they don't so far. Cool as it is meeting her childhood heroes, this is purely a business relationship.

She doesn't intend to get attached.

* * *

[LP1]We're going to conveniently ignore the fact that she would still need to produce oxygen.


	5. chapter 5

As promised, here's the actual plot stuff! Or, as I like to think of it- "Where shit gets real." Sort of. Look, alright, you'll see :P

* * *

 **the cycle starts again**

 _Lady Cravenheart_

* * *

 **5.**

* * *

Charlie's chest constricts around her heart and lungs as Koraladol comes into sight on the Super Robot's viewsecreen. Her hand strays to her pocket; wrapping around the shape of the datachip. "Keep the comms open," she says. To her surprise, her voice doesn't tremble. For all that Shuggazoom holds her heart, Koraladol has been, and always will be, home. "They'll want to verify identity before we land."

"You'll need to receive it," Gibson says. "It will be easier that way. If you pull up your holopad, you'll see the comm unit."

Charlie pulls up the holo. Her mouth twitches at the sight of the Sun Rider's background; Aurora Six, Super Quasar, and Johnny Sunspot posing dramatically against the setting sun. Shuggazoom, that show was so cheesy. The comm channel is easy to find, and she opens it.

Not too long after, a frequency Charlie recognizes as a resistance standard begins to hail the Super Robot. She opens it.

"Halt. You're trespassing in resistance space. State your business."

"My name is Charlie Nieli, Starman Apprentice, previously awarded the six-pointed star for services rendered on Planet Xatromia of the Galthean Five system." Charlie sat at attention. "Currently aboard the Super Robot with the recently reawakened Hyper Force of Planet Shuggazoom, located in Starlon Six. Requesting permission to land. Will stand-by if necessary."

Silence for a few beats. The comm is open, if the static is anything to go by.

Finally…

" _Charlie_? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" She knows that voice—Private Malakye. He's a year older than her, and has no taste for battle, so when he signed up they assigned him to telecommunications.

Charlie smirks, and leans back in her seat, crossing her knees. "School-schmool. I wanted to be where the cool people are."

"Seven months ago, you told me I was the most uncool person you'd ever met," he says dryly.

"Yeah, that was before I went back to school and was reminded of exactly how _un_ cool people could be." Charlie wrinkles her nose.

Malakye snorts. "Still, you shouldn't—" He stops. Silence. No static; no breathing; no words.

Charlie's breath catches. "Malakye?" Her eyebrows knit together; her brow pinching.

"Starfleet Admiral Mobius Quint wants to open vid-comm," he says, finally, and Charlie exhales with relief.

"Patch him through."

Charlie transfers the call to the vid screen. The screen went white-static for a moment, then the video came into view.

Mobius Quint is a stern looking man—brown skin and dark eyes; a scar going through one side of his face. A more recent one pulls at his mouth. His graying hair is pulled back by a fraying red-and-white headband. As the Hyper Force come into view, his eyes widen.

"It's true."

Sprx lifts his hand and wiggles his fingers. "Hey, Quint. Long time no see."

Quint grunts. "Docking request granted. Find the blue lights. The Council will be waiting." The screen turns to static again, as Quint terminates the call.

"Good ol' Quint," Charlie says dryly. She spins her chair to face the monkey team. "Don't expect a warm welcome. A lot of people are pi—angry that you guys disappeared, and never came back. Some people might see your return as a kind of providence, but most people are just going to be mad it took you so long."

Sprx grimaces. "You couldn't have mentioned that _before_?"

Charlie shrugs. "There were other, more important, things to talk about first."

Sprx sighs. He brings the robot in for a landing; the blue lights a clear target, despite the darkness permeating this side of the planet. Once they're secured, they all stand, and head for their tubes. They exit the Robot from the left foot.

Blue bay is the return bay, and it's as busy as ever. Cargo is loaded onto carts and taken to the storage bay for sorting; reunions take place in corners; there are copious amounts of bragging; and medics on standby. As Charlie leads the team towards the doors, though, the noise and chatter quiets. They all turn to watch them walk by. Charlie holds her head up and puts her shoulders back. She strides towards the doors. She wants to leave before—

"Is that the hyper force?"

"No way. Those guys are on the opposite end of the cosmos, asleep somewhere."

"I heard they'd found a new planet to protect, somewhere else."

"I heard they jumped galaxies!"

"They look just like the stories."

"How do we know that's them?"

"Wow. The Super Robot is even cooler in person!"

"Pfft. It's a cheap knock-off!"

—the rumors start up.

Charlie walks a bit faster. She has to turn and grab Sprx to keep him from addressing the fighters held in thrall, yanking him through the door just as it slides closed behind them.

Sprx twists out of her grip. "What was that for?" He scowls at her.

Charlie crosses her arms. "You were going to talk to them."

"And why shouldn't I? They were talking about _us_."

"I know," Charlie says. "But we don't need to address those rumors. Best to let the resistance heads do that."

"Why?"

"They might want to keep your return quiet."

"The fact that there are rumors will be enough to turn enemy attention our way—if that's what you're worried about," Gibson says.

Charlie shakes her head. "The enemy quit investigating rumors about the hyper force a while ago."

"Why?"

Charlie lets out a gust of air that causes her bangs to flutter. "You think you guys are the only robotic monkeys out there?"

"…well. Yes," Otto says.

"You're not. Some of them were created after you guys, because scientists heard of your exploits, then your disappearance, and had a collective epiphany. Some were created before. They had a lot of altercations with the amphiboid races—you'll recall meeting a group of them while chasing down the Skeleton King Worm, if memory serves."

"Yes… Suupa mentioned that he had encountered 'our kind' before. I didn't give it any thought, however. I thought perhaps he'd run into prototypes, like the Super Robot," Gibson says.

"Are any of them resistance members?" Nova asks.

"We have a few teams," Charlie says. "I think… we have about 30 members in total?"

"That's five teams of six, yes?" Gibson asks.

Charlie grins. "Almost right. Three teams of six, and then one team of seven, and a team of five."

"I have a question for ya. How does a seventeen year old win a 'six pointed star'?"

"Xatromia is an industrial planet. It's rich in metals and minerals, and is also known for having very fertile soil. Best part is, it's only a hyper warp away from Koralodol. It supplies a lot of our food, and we have several weapon manufacturers there. Dad was supposed to take me to get a new weapon, but was called away on resistance duties. So I went by myself—with his permission, of course. And, of course, while I was picking up said weapon, the planet was attacked." Charlie rolls her eyes.

"Typical. I was _supposed_ to go hide in the bunker with the rest of the soldiers' families, but I couldn't just sit by and do nothing. Especially not since they were down so many fighters. I helped hold off the invasion and while I was severely reprimanded for not seeking safety, my actions helped ensure that the planet survived. So. Six pointed star. If I had been a fully-fledged member of the resistance, I probably would have gotten a four-pointed star, but…" Charlie shrugs.

"And you were how old?"

"Sixteen. Though I was two months away from seventeen."

They stare at her; their gaze feeling like pricks against her skin.

Charlie scowls. "Oi! Don't look at me like that. Chiro was fourteen— _fourteen_!—when he found you guys and started fighting Skeleton King. Sixteen might not be much better, but at least that's old enough to get your pilot's license."

They come to a stop in front of another door. "Let's table this discussion, shall we? The leaders await." Charlie presses her palm against the scanner. A blue light slides across her skin and then the door whooshes open, accepting her palm print.

The council waits.

Mobius Quint, admiral of the first naval division. A small, elite group whose missions were often the most dangerous.

Super Quasar, admiral of the second naval division. A larger division whose missions often took them far from home. His holo flickers in his usual chair, comm-ing in from another one of the resistance's headquarters.

Shifter Sirthana commed in as well, leg crossed over the other. She commanded the largest naval division, which made up the bulk of the navy.

Her sister, Shifter Corlean, commanded division one of the ground army, and was physically present, as division one protected the home base.

Oliana commed in. She was the general of division two of the ground army. They protected the civilian base, which was located on Oliana and her people's new homeworld. The Arcadians had been among the most gracious of the galaxy's peoples.

Aurora Six commed in, located on the same world as her fellow Sun Rider. She commanded the third ground division, and together, they protected the industrial world Charlie had earned her star on.

Johnny Sunspot led the weapons division, comm-ing in alongside his teammates. He was responsible for a great many of the weapons the resistance used against the formless.

He often communed with Suupa, who led the xenobiology division. Suupa spent his spare time studying the formless, and his work time helping to patch up the fighters who came home injured.

Communications were led by Jinmay. She crosses her legs, physically present.

The last member of the council, Xala, is one of the few remaining Varans, and among those who opposed Master Xan's evil. It was Xala and her group who had helped to revive a spark of it as the monkey team fought against the Skeleton King.

Charlie's smile fades as she studies the council. She takes in each of their faces. Haggard, grave. Not out of the ordinary. This fight has taken its toll on them all, and many of them—all of them—have lived through two wars with the Dark Ones now.

But the absence of the Warlord has her stomach dropping to her feet.

"Where's Chiro?"

Otto's innocent question causes Jinmay, easiest to read of them all, to flinch back. It's minute; such a small movement that its almost unnoticeable. If Charlie had not known to watch her, she never would have caught it.

But she did.

"Where's my dad?"

The council is silent. They do not look at each other, but Charlie can feel them weighing it. A silent communication she once admired now makes her stomach twist. She wants to know. They—

Jinmay speaks. "There was an incident. The Warlord… Chiro… he… went to check it out. He took with him The Silver Banshees; Zelene Mult; and M'zyn For'suth. That was three weeks ago. We were going to send a search party yesterday… when we received a transmission." Jinmay taps something on her keypad.

A projector slides from the ceiling, and a holovid appears in the air.

Charlie recognizes her immediately. She hardly ever reaches out to contact them directly, but there is no mistaking the woman. She is the dark one's chosen.

She is Queen Nakama the Undying. While Skeleton King's visage had been that of an undead being, hers was the picture of youth. She had a sweet round face, framed with pale white curls. Her eyes were a soft shade of blue—near the same as Charlie's own. Her skin was pale, but with a healthy flush. And when she spoke, her voice was a melody.

"Greetings, resistance. It seems so long since last I offered you the chance to stand down from your futile pursuit. Three years, if memory serves." She smiles, a petite, delicate thing. "Once again, I make the offer." She waves her hand, the long sleeve of her kimono fluttering. Static distorts the screen, and then it flashes to a cell. "This is live footage from the ship of my dearest admiral Zhang."

"Dad." Charlie breathes.

"Chiro," echoes the monkey team.

He is strung from the ceiling, against a wall; stripped to the waist, clad only in a pair of ratty pants. Six cybernetic monkeys, all a different shade of the monochrome spectrum, and all female; are strung up to his left. To his right is a female with purple-red skin and three eyes on her face, with another two protruding from stalks. In a hanging birdcage is a tentacled creature with green spotted skin and one large eye.

"Your allies put up an excellent fight, but it was not good enough to face against my lich." The screen goes static again, and flickers back to her. "All I wish is for you to surrender your most powerful Power Primate users. For every one you give me, I shall release unto you one of your allies. However, for every week that passes where you do _not_ give me one of them, I shall capture another group of your allies. For every month that passes that you have not given me a Power Primate user, I shall send Koizumi to one of your strongholds.

"And because I am such a _benevolent_ being, I shall give you a free week to think about it."

The screen goes black.

Charlie's fist clench.

"We have not revealed this video to the rest of the resistance yet," Jinmay says. "And we shall continue to keep it to ourselves until we have reached a decision."

"You can't possibly be considering this!" Sprx bursts. "That's— You're just going to offer people up for slaughter?"

Jinmay steeples her fingers. "This isn't something we _want_ to do, Sprx. But Chiro… he is a necessity. No one else out there is capable of bringing the galaxy together. Not like he can. And he will be the _last_ that they give back."

"You're talking about sacrificing eight people," Charlie says. She's never felt so disgusted. "Eight of our most powerful Power Primate users. That… that includes you, Mistress Xala. How can you even—?"

Xala smiles; a thin-lipped thing. Colors swirl in obsidian skin, and the musical tone hums faintly through the room. "For the good of the universe, I am willing to make this sacrifice. Chiro must be brought home."

Charlie shakes her head. "I want my dad back as much as any of you, but this isn't the way of doing it."

"And do you have a better solution?" There's no mistaking the frost coating Sirthana's tone. She and her sister were wild youths—everyone says so—and, as they've told her about a thousand times, they see themselves in Charlie. Every time she opens her mouth, they assume the worst. That she's reckless. Troubled. Looking for an escape, or cheap thrills, or a chance to shine.

Charlie reaches into her pocket and pulls out a chip. "On Shuggazoom, I dreamed of a ship—an important ship—landing out in the Zone of Wasted Years. I felt called to it. So when I woke up, I ate breakfast—and I left. I made it to the ship's computer systems and downloaded a good chunk of their files before I left. Unfortunately, on the way back, I ran into a group of rogue zombie formless. They chased me into the Savage Lands, where I found the Alchemist's Hut; a nice gun; and the Super Robot. After taking out the formless, I woke the monkey team and headed here.

"The stuff on this chip… It could help us out. We won't _have_ to give up any of our people. We can rescue my dad, and maybe even end this war for good."

One by one, the council's faces changed. But instead of seeing the hope she wanted to inspire, Charlie sees pity. The sort of expression one gives a child. _"How little you know,"_ it says.

"I'm sure the information will come in handy," Aurora says tactfully. "But if, each week, they will be capturing more of our people, I do not think that it will help _enough_."

Charlie growls. She stomps over to the computer system and plugs the chip into it. A holo keyboard pops up, along with a matching mouse. She opens the datachip and its files. Specifically… three sets of blueprints.

"Zhang's Citadel. Nakama's warship. And the Black Fortress," Charlie says. Then she pulls up documents. "Weaknesses for Zhang, Koizumi, and Nakama. The ship I found wasn't any ordinary bone cruiser. It was Antoine's personal warship, docked at Shuggazoom near the remains of the Skeleton King's fortress. I didn't stay long enough to find out why he was there. This chip is _full_ of data. Not just on us—but on _them_. If we go through what they know, we can change our routes and our patterns. We can avoid traps they set for us—and by using Antoine's mistrust of his allies, we can find out how to take them down." Charlie takes a breath. "My father wouldn't want you to sacrifice people for him."

"Charlie…" Jinmay says, eyes shining. Once again, her look lacks the happiness or hope that Charlie hoped for. "Sweetheart. Your father… He knows the sacrifices that come from war. He's made more than a few of them himself—and not always sacrifices limited to himself. He wouldn't want us to… but he would give the order in a heartbeat."

Charlie shakes her head.

"You're wrong." It's Sprx that speaks, head held high. "The Kid wouldn't do that."

"Yeah," Otto says. "Chiro'd never sacrifice innocent lives."

"There is always another way," Antauri finishes. "And he knows that. As should all of you."

Jinmay frowns; forehead creasing. "And how would any of you know that? You left. Twenty-one years is a lot of time—and a lot can change. A lot _has_ changed. This war has demanded a lot from everyone. And while I would love to share your idealism… the time for that is done. Even in his crystal form, Skeleton King could not get rid of the spark of humanity that remained from his days as the Alchemist. Nakama holds no such ties."

"That we know of," Charlie counters. "No one has ever seen her in person."

"That… is not entirely true." Xala pauses a moment. "She did not always have an army, Charlie. Once… She was far less powerful. Just a girl. We did not know she had been touched by the Dark Ones. And her powers—"

"Enough," Quint says. "The point is, Charlie, your dad is the only person with a hope of winning this war."

"Mobius, that might not be—"

He silences Xala with a look. "Chiro is part of the reason that Nakama never leaves the Black Fortress. But those restraints nullify his power. She won't be afraid to come near him, and I don't want to know what she's going to do to him. We need to get him back."

"If she'll do it to him, she'll do it to any of them!" Charlie argues. "We've got—"

"Enough." It's Jinmay this time who silences them. She looks stern—more stern than Charlie has ever seen her. "This is not your decision, Charlie."

"What about _them_?" She gestures to the hyper force. "They're back. Does that mean nothing? If you won't listen to me, listen to them. They were your allies. You know what they're capable of."

"They abandoned us!" Quint roars. "If they had been here, they could have headed this off before it came!"

None of the others, not even Jinmay, disagree.

Charlie scowls. "Fine," she spits. "You do things your way. But I'm not going to stick around and watch."

Charlie storms out of the room; angry tears pricking the corner of her eyes. If they won't do what's best for the galaxy, then she'll just have to do it herself.


	6. chapter 6

This chapter (sadly) finishes out what I have written for this story! So after this the update schedule will be, "Whenever I get it finished." ...I'm just going to apologize in advance. I'm pretty busy, so my update schedule is going to be... chaotic. To put it lightly.

I hope you enjoy this! :D

* * *

 **the cycle starts again**

 _Lady Cravenheart_

* * *

 **6.**

* * *

It takes only a glance for the monkeys to step out of Charlie's way; parting like the ocean around a rock. They close ranks once she's through. Antauri and Nova take the lead; Sprx by himself in the center; and Gibson and Otto bringing the rear.

Sprx watches Charlie's back. Her shoulders are rigid under her t-shirt, and she clenches and unclenches her fists at her sides. He doesn't know where she's going. He almost opens his mouth to ask.

She enters the lift, and barely gives them enough time to enter before she's pressing a button and they're whooshing upward.

Not the hangar, then.

This ride is a lot shorter than their last one; the platform shudders to a stop down another hallway. Like the other, this one is all plain white walls; silvery flooring and ceiling; and electronic doors with blinking keypads. It's all hospital sterile—like somethin' out of a horror vid.

Sprx shudders a bit. Shuggazoom, he hates those things.

Charlie stops at one of the doors and roughly punches in a code. She steps through.

It's… an apartment.

Sprx pauses in the threshold. The living room is covered in plush carpeting. There's a vid-screen on the wall, with a ceiling-high movie rack beside it. A few systems blink on below the screen, and he can see vidgame controllers sitting on the top.

That's all he gets before Gibson is pushing him inside. He throws a glare over his shoulder, and smirks in satisfaction when he finds Gibson pausing in shock as well.

Serves him right.

He turns back around and takes in the comfortable looking, well-worn couch; the mis-matched chairs; the haphazardly tossed decorative pillows. There's a pile of throw blankets on a shelf below a coffee table. The walls are lined with pictures.

His breath catches. Among pictures of Charlie, with a gap-toothed smile and black pigtails, are pictures of _Chiro_. Never did grow very broad—he was always such a scrawny thing, no matter how many plates of food Otto shoved in front of him—and he certainly didn't get any tanner. But he filled out. Less babyfaced; with a bit of scruff. His eyes are darker, his smile grimmer. Except when he's with Charlie. He looks—less burdened, then. Smiling down at Charlie like she's the only light in his life.

Sprx's chest squeezes.

He shakes himself. He strides forward, abandoning his team to look at pictures. He walks down the hall; peers in one room.

Nope. Bathroom.

Peers in another.

There she is.

Charlie's got a duffel bag tossed on her back; zippered maw wide open as she feeds it clothes. She's still furious, but there's a sort of tight precision to her movements. Each item she pulls form her drawers has been rolled tightly, or folded to take up as little room as possible.

Sprx looks at her room. Purple blankets and lavender pillowcases. Old newspaper print-outs from the days of the Hyper Force. A few of Captain Shuggazoom's exploits. A couple'a movie posters, but mostly posters of various bands. A few of them are signed. And copious amounts of pictures; taped to the wall. Only a handful are framed, and it's those that Sprx takes the closest look at.

One is of a couple. A woman with blonde hair and blue, blue eyes—like Charlie's. A man with black hair and dark eyes, with a sort of reckless smile. Both of them are wearing flight suits; arms tucked around each other. They're surrounded by a crew. Sprx squints. He barely catches the ship name—" _SS Ingenuity_." It's not a model he recognizes.

He moves on to the next picture.

Chiro's in this one, looking wearied but not haggard. He's got scruff, a little darker than the other pictures. His mouth is quirked in a half smile, and his cheek is smeared with cake. Cake attached to a small, pudgy smile as Charlie grins at the camera, pigtails askew. A cake in the background reads '5'.

 _"I've known Chiro since I was four."_

Sprx's chest squeezes again and he turns away. He doesn't look at the other pictures.

Charlie's got a second duffle out now. The other one is zipped and swollen. She's carefully tucking electronics into one pocket of the new, smaller duffle; weapons in the other.

Sprx dares to speak. "Y'know, we've got weapons on the Super Robot."

Charlie stops. Pauses. "…what do you mean?"

"I mean that you don't have to pack those, if you don't want to," Sprx says, squinting suspiciously. What'd she think he meant?

Charlie turns to him, and her brow is furrowed. "You guys aren't… staying here?"

Sprx scoffs. "With _these_ freaks? They'd probably sacrifice Antauri!" And angry as he is, Sprx isn't about to let them do that. "Or maybe all of us."

Charlie huffs. It sounds amused. "Point. I guess… I didn't think you'd take me with you."

Sprx rolls his eyes. "Now you're bein' ridiculous," he says. "You woke us up. So you're stuck with us."

Charlie looks down at the gun in her hands. She tucks it into the pouch. "That changes things a bit. But I'm still bringing my weapons."

"What's it change?"

"…I was maybe kind of planning to steal a cruiser?"

Sprx presses a palm to his eye. "Seriously?"

"Well, I mean, I thought you guys were gonna stay and try to talk sense into… them! Or, I don't know, leave and start a resistance of your own! Angry or not, you'd get a lot of followers." Charlie shifts. "I guess I— I didn't really consider what waking you guys up meant. I just…" She rubs her forehead. "I had the dream, about the ship, and I got the data downloaded, and I ran—and the formless saw me—and I ran some more… and… then I found the Super Robot, and I thought, 'Wow, it's been here the whole time? Seriously?' and then I killed some formless and—"

The tirade stops, and she lets out a huff. "I pulled the switch because I was hoping you guys could turn the tide, and… I guess… I thought once you were back my dad would take over again. I didn't…" She huffs again and covers her face. "Cosmos, this is a mess."

Sprx snorts. "I've been sayin' that since Mandarin, kiddo. Good luck."

She huffs, amused, and pulls her hands from her face. She zips the pockets and tucks some keepsakes and gadgetry into the larger space. She pauses as she goes to zip the big pocket. Glances at the door, and then at him.

"Me waking you up… Does that mean…" She bites her lip. She looks young, in that moment. Looks like Chiro did, when they woke up and saw him—that scrawny, undersized little runt, collapsed near the med pod. Sprx swallows.

"Does that mean… it's my job to stop Nakama?"

Sprx shifts uncomfortably. "I don't know, kiddo. I… You'd have to ask Antauri that. I'm just the pilot."

Charlie scrutinizes him a minute, and she's back to being rash and impulsive and seventeen and not—whatever that was before. She zips the bags and hoists them up. "Let's get goin', then. We're wasting daylight. Er. Metaphorically."

Sprx lets her walk out first, and gives one last glance around her room before he trots after her.

* * *

"When were you planning on telling us that Chiro was your father?" To his credit, Gibson doesn't sound accusatory.

Charlie shrugs. "I figured you'd find out once we reached the Resistance." She's subdued; the usual pep drained from her voice. She feels tired. It's not the kind of tired that could be fixed by a good, long sleep. She wishes it was. She summons a smile anyway. "One way or another. I kinda figured it'd be when he chewed me out over ditching school, if we're being honest."

"Ya didn't think it'd be a good idea to warn us?" Sprx says. He _does_ sound accusatory, but she's used to it by now. "That's a hell of a bomb to drop on us—sorry, Antauri. Gibson."

Gibson scowls and Antauri frowns, both in disapproval. However, neither of them choose to say anything.

This time.

Charlie flexes her fingers. "It seemed fair. I didn't tell my dad I found you guys, so… I wasn't gonna tell you guys he was my dad." She shrugs. "Not like I lied about it. I just… withheld information. Because no one asked. You didn't ask _how_ I'd met him, or whether we were _close_ , or who my dad was, or anything! Which—all relevant things, by the way." Charlie points at them, sliding her finger in a line through the air to catch each one. "Most parents aren't too happy about their kid going off to war. Especially with a group of cybernetic simians with a reputation for danger. Dad's gonna kill me. And probably you guys too, just for safe measure. He might wait until after Nakama is gone. If we're lucky." She snorts.

"We'll keep you out of harm's way as much as possible," Antauri says, after a few beats of silence.

Charlie snorts. "Oh, I'm sure you'll try," she says. "I'm a magnet for trouble." She cocks her head to the side. "Well, not really. Trouble's the magnet and I'm the piece of metal eagerly running toward it. But. Same difference." She waves her hand dismissively.

"We'll figure something out." Nova sounds confident.

Charlie kind of wants to laugh at her. She bites back the, _"You can try,"_ sitting on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she changes the subject. "So, where to first?"

"Not going to insist we make straight for Zhang's ship?" Gibson asks dryly.

"Cosmos, no." Charlie shakes her head. "I'm nowhere _near_ ready for that level of fighting. Can't even use my own powers yet. We'd get clobbered, and they'd probably—" She stops. "There's too much at stake for me to go rushing into the thick of it like that," she says instead. "I need training. And you guys are the teachers, so, uh. Pick somewhere to go, I guess, and I'll tell you if it's safe."

The monkeys share glances. "We should probably start with somewhere we won't be bothered. So we can get a handle on what you know, and teach you what you don't," Nova says tentatively. "We can save different masters for when you're more advanced."

"Not that most of 'em will be around anymore," Sprx points out, though in a softer voice than usual.

"And if they are, they'll be with the resistance," Gibson says.

"What do you think we should do, Charlie?" Antauri asks, turning his eyes on her. The rest of the monkeys follow suit, and Charlie shifts; uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

"Me?" she asks. "You think I'm qualified to tell you what to do?"

Sprx shrugs. "You pulled the trigger. Now you're the boss. Them's the rules. I didn't make 'em." He sent a pointed glance Antauri's way.

Charlie snorts. "More like a lever. But—alright." Charlie steeples her fingers, and considers. "There's a few human-friendly planets around that don't have anything livin' on 'em. We can use one of those for training. Once I've reached the point where experience is the best teacher, we can start takin' out her allies. We can consider who to go after then."

"Tell me the options," Sprx says, fingers poised over a holo-board.

Charlie furrows her brow. Options— Oh. Right. Feeling faintly flushed, she says, "Arda's close by. The atmo is a little thinner than Shuggazoom's but not unbearably. It's close to the Galatron Six station. It's one of those teenage-centric hubs for entertainment, but at least we can get food and stuff. Uh… There's also Albion. Atmo is friendly. Abandoned mining facility, so there's even some structures and such. Prone to dust storms, though. Also near Galatron Six. Last planet is Ixia. It's a garden world. Hasn't developed any intelligent life, but has tons of plants and such. A few animals. Mostly bugs, if we're being honest. Bee-like creatures and such. Won't run out of food there, that's for sure. For other supplies it's near Beron Two. Most people call it the Husk, though. It's a dying station. Won't find anything fancy, but between the greenhouses and the occasional shipment or traveler, they've got plenty to keep us stocked up. And those are just the legal places. If you're not adverse to trading in other places, I know of a few illegal moon bases."

Antauri raises his eyeridges; disapproval radiating off of him.

"Oi, you ever tried to get a shipment of high-powered guns the legal way? From a system that hasn't even been touched by the war yet? Not exactly easy. If we didn't go through other channels, there are a ton of people who'd've died. Worlds that would have been lost. So don't you get all self-righteous on me, Antauri." Charlie scowls at him.

Antauri pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Makes sense to me," Sprx says. "Super Robot's too valuable for us to risk bein' near the black market, though, so how 'bout we stick with legal area?" He glances at Gibson. "Ixia's out, I think."

Gibson nods fervently, and Charlie hides a smile. She'd forgotten he was afraid of bugs.

"That leaves Albion and Arda. Dust storms or thinner atmo. What's the climate like on Arda?"

"Arda and Albion are both hot as—" She cuts herself off. "They're hot. Like I said, Arda's got a thinner atmo. Nothing too bad but there can't be any strenuous training outside the Robot without some sort of measures in case. Though… that could be a good way to increase lung capacity and endurance…" Charlie trails off, then shakes her head. "There's also less protection from solar radiation, so I'd need to stay stocked with protective lotions. Also, bit of a gravity difference. That's not a big deal—sounds kind of fun actually—but I thought I'd throw it out there." She pauses, lets them adjust to the stream of information, then continues.

"Albion's a desert. Prone to dust storms, like I said. The mining facility was abandoned at the start of the war, so it's even got some metals and stuff if we ever need 'em. And the facilities to turn said metals into equipment or fuel. Atmo's friendly; I can breathe it without a spacesuit as long as there isn't too much dust in the air."

"Are these dust storms or sand storms?" Gibson asked.

Charlie shrugged and spread her hands. "I don't know. I'm just telling you what the reports said. From what I remember, I think there were both. The dust storms are massive, though. They buried an entire outpost one time." She shuddered.

Sprx leaned back. "My vote's for Arda," he said. "Atmo aside, at least we're not gonna get buried."

"I'm with Sprx," Nova said, her elbow braced against her knee, and her chin cupped in her hand.

"As am I," Gibson said. "If we want to go out to train, I'd prefer not to be suddenly consumed by sand or dust. And digging out the Robot will get wearisome quickly."

"Aw, I don't think it'd be that bad," Otto said. "I'd be more worried about the buggies than the Robot! Arda does sound the best, though, long as you don't think you'll be bothered by it, Charlie."

Charlie smiled at him. "If I am, that's why they made the spacesuit."

"Then it's settled then?" Antauri asked, floating a short ways above them.

Charlie nodded once. "It's settled. We're goin' to Arda."


End file.
